Brie and Jam 'Ravioli'

'Tis the season for cocktail parties!  Well, parties, anyways.  JP, August, and I had our neighborhood's Secret Santa party this weekend, and all parents (the secret santa was for the kids) were instructed to bring a 'plate to pass.'  What a wonderful excuse to make this recipe from Joy the Baker.  It's a baby-in-one-hand friendly version of baked brie, complete with jam and tender puff pastry.  It's easy to boot!  If you have a party coming up, or are hosting some friends in front of the fireplace, give this a shot.  

Did I mention that there's melty brie?  Sign me up. 

Brie and Jam 'Ravioli' from Joy the Baker

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed but still cold

1/2 wedge of brie, about 4 oz, cold

1/3 c. strawberry jam (choose your own flavor!)

1 large egg, beaten

splash of water

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Prep baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. 

2. Roll out puff pastry sheets, and cut each sheet into 16 squares.  Try to make them as even as possible! 

3. Beat egg and small bit of (1 Tbsp.) water together to make an egg wash.  Brush 16 of the pastry squares with egg wash.  

4. Place small chunk of brie, about the size of a thumb knuckle, on each pastry square.  Dollop a bit of jam on cheese, then place a puff pastry square on top.  Use your fingers or a fork to seal both squares of pastry together, and brush egg wash on top.

5. Place pastry 'ravioli' on prepared sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until golden.  Remove from oven, cool slightly, and enjoy!

Abbi's Solo Babymoon Adventure to Florida!

 Last Thursday, I ventured down to south Florida to see my wonderful friends and family down there; it's probably the last time I'll get to travel solo for a while.  After landing, I was whisked to Rocco's Tacos in Jupiter for a look at this cute face!  I love being reunited with her; Haley's my best friend and just an absolutely wonderful person.

I got to spend Friday morning with my very own pool and lunch date with my oldest and dearest friend, Jessilyn!  We don't always get one-on-one time, so it felt incredibly decadent to spend hours catching up while soaking up the rays and some salads.  I love her to pieces!

 On Saturday morning, I was absolutely spoiled with a wonderful shower for the churro (and me).  Layla and I had to spend some time at Haley's while the set-up happened, and my niece was thrilled to be left alone with me.  As you can see.

 The theme of the shower was Ferdinand, the 1936 black-and-white story of a Spanish bull.  Haley and my mom are amazing for coming up with this idea.  Great excuse for some tapas (Aunt Nesi truly outdid herself), sangria, and beautiful, colorful flowers!  We feasted on empanadas, gazpacho, and lots of chorizo.  Thank goodness for stretchy dresses.

 How cute are these mama and baby cows?!

 My sweet cousins: Amber, Laura (honorary cousin), Haley, preggers chick, Megs, and Cleo (who drove down with her mom from Tennessee!).  We're a pretty good-looking bunch.  No big deal.

 Oh my goodness, how adorable is this onesie?  My mom took the gray and yellow theme seriously, and made some personalized tie outfits for her grandson.  It's going to fit him perfectly!  I'll have to share more of our great gifts in an upcoming post; this kid is already spoiled and stylish.

 Aunt Nesi was a consummate hostess, and always willing to open her house for a party.  Thank you!!

 Apparently I cut the cake slices too big.  What can you expect from a 29-week pregnant woman?

 There was an adorable onesie bar, and it was so fun to see everyone's creative take on babywear!  So, so cute.

Haley has set the bar incredibly high for showers and parties: she knows just what sort of  food and drinks to serve (tasty pomegranate juice with sparkling water), and knows me (no games, just cake, tapas, books, and clothing).  I couldn't ask for this baby to have a better aunt.  She's going to be perfect.

We spent Sunday morning at TooJay's and the flea market; so much fun!  Dad and I got a few good pictures in, too, which was worth the trip down the Florida in the first place.  Thanks for my latkes and the excellent company on Friday night!

 Then it was off to the beach for my mama's Mother's Day date: Publix subs, La Crema chardonnay, and the most perfect book for her.  It was a beautiful day, and I couldn't have spent it with two better women.

 I mean, seriously, look at this model woman.

 Here's to good women!  May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.

 Quick churro update.  He's definitely going to be a big one!

I'll leave you with this shot of the cutest hat ever to grace the planet: a pumpkin hat for our little pumpkinhead.  Thanks, Grandma in North Carolina; it has successfully surpassed all other cute things in life.

The shabby chic bridal shower

I'm pretty sure you know by now that I'm a lucky girl, and have plenty to be thankful for.  Over the holidays, I was most thankful that my sister is Haley.  She is truly remarkable, having planned a perfectly beautiful bridal shower for Christmas Eve.

To be honest, I didn't make it easy, requesting no traditional games (no toilet paper gowns, etc.) and a champagne bar.  Wow, did this girl deliver!

She came up with the idea for a shabby chic brunch affair, complete with tasty pastries from Mr. Bread in Stuart, a gorgeous bellini bar with peaches and blueberries, handmade swizzle sticks, and a famous couples version of Charades.

Haley also collected and made these cute-as-a-button vases, with bows and lace.  I love them!  She's crafty.

My mom made up some adorable bunting, fun fabric bookmarks for favors, and even outfitted Betty (Haley's wire mannequin) in a floral apron.  The apron is now hanging in my kitchen!

Christmas Eve may seem an untraditional time for a bridal shower, but it was the most convenient time for the wonderful women in my life to gather, as my family would only be in the same place that day and Christmas!  I'm so glad that everyone made the effort to come out, including my best high school girlfriends Jessilyn and Jordan, and my Grandma in North Carolina, who reworked her holiday plans to be there!

I should also give a shout-out to my dad, who brought GINC to the shower and entertained John Paul during the party.  Thanks, Daddy Man!

Haley, thank you so, so much for putting together such a wonderful shower.  It was everything I asked for, and more!  There's no one else who could have pulled off such a cute morning; I love you bunches.

p.s. I wore a great silk shirtdress from Madewell, with a belt from H&M.  Just in case anyone wondered!

Orangettes

Orangettes: candied orange peels dipped in chocolate.  See also: a reason for living.
Seriously, it's hard to stop at eating just one of these beautiful treats.  The orange peels are bright and sweet, tempered by the bitterness of dark chocolate.  I made these on a whim over the weekend (John Paul was out of town and a bag of oranges was less than $4 at Trader Joe's), and am so glad to discover how easy they are!

I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe, which worked wonderfully with a few tweaks.  After reading some comments from her original post, I blanched the peels a total of three times, each time using a fresh pot of boiling water.  I also left the peels to dry for 12 hours after simmering them in the simple syrup, which made them much easier to handle when dipping into chocolate. 

I found it easiest to score the orange peel about 8 times down the sides, peel away the pith, then slice into strips.  Also, I used organic navel oranges to avoid the wax sprayed on to maintain freshness.

They're so wonderful!  Slightly bittersweet, with a crunchy chocolate coating.  If you need a tasty party treat, I highly recommend orangettes!

Lemon-pistachio cake

Are you celebrating with friends today?  Do you need a baked good to bring to a barbecue?  Try this absolutely wonderful pistachio-lemon cake.
A few weeks ago, we celebrated a good friend's birthday, and I brought this cake as a gift.  He loves quirky flavors, and I saw this combination in May's copy of Real Simple.  Man, this was SO GOOD!!  The lemons are sweet and tart, while the pistachios are nutty and add a tasty crunch to the frosting.  There's a layer of lemon curd in there to add some creaminess.  Honestly, I wouldn't have made this cake without a little kick in the flavor department, but I'm so glad I tried it out.  You should too!

Poppy Seed Cake with Strawberries

Man, I have been in a cake mood lately!  A couple weekends ago I made a wonderful, light strawberry cake (will post soon) for a graduation party.  It was so good, I only got one sliver!  To make up for the loss, I made this Memorial Day cake for John Paul and I (don't worry, we shared...a bit).  I saw it on Not Without Salt a few days ago, and it spoke to me.
This cake is perfect for summer.  The mascarpone frosting is lighter than cream cheese, and there's not quite so much sugar.  The poppy seed cakes are mildly nutty, with an excellent slight crunch to it.  Top it off with some strawberries for a bit of extra sweetness...seriously, you can't go wrong.  The strawberries I bought were a bit big; I should have cut them into eighths so the layers weren't so far apart.  Even so, tastiest Memorial Day cake I've ever made! 

P.S. This frosting is super delicious with just strawberries dipped into it...perhaps a quick dessert?

Lemint Summer Drink

Last summer, I had the best lemonade EVER.  Baked and Wired in Georgetown took a few mint leaves, muddled them in a glass, and added lemonade.  The mint made the lemonade even more refreshing, and left such a great taste in my mouth!  It was seriously delicious, and it's haunted all of my other summer drinks.
Let's face it: muddling is a huge hassle, and I don't have a muddler.  Instead, I made this quick, easy batch of Lemint Summer Drink (cute, right?) and have decided to keep a pitcher of it in the fridge all summer.  My only question is, what can I add to it to make a cocktail?  Any suggestions?

Lemint Summer Drink
1. Buy lemonade from your grocery store.
2. Boil 4 cups of water,  and pour into a pitcher with 4 peppermint tea bags.
3. Steep tea bags for 3 minutes, then remove.
4. Add lemonade to mint tea, and chill in fridge until ready to drink up!

Grapefruit Margarita

Okay, so, apparently this recipe serves 8.  I must be a total lush, because I can't seem to get more than 5 out of a single batch!  You won't be able to either, though; this tart, refreshing drink is the perfect summer kick-off cocktail.  I got the recipe from Ina Garten, whose latest cookbook is quickly becoming my go-to for entertaining.  She can do no wrong in my book, and her brief appearance on this season's finale of 30 Rock didn't hurt my love for her.  She's my dream neighbor, too.

Easy Beef Wellington

Oh my good gracious.  My man must love me to make steak wrapped in pate wrapped in prosciutto wrapped in puff pastry.  I certainly know that he does, but I'll also confess this: none of this is as difficult as it looks.  We had some friends over for dinner a couple months ago, and JP got it into his head that he would make beef wellington (he's an overachiever) the way Gordon Ramsay makes it.  He's got a couple of shortcuts in this video, and it really did come out wonderfully.
This time around we used mushroom pate instead of flat-out mushrooms (it's surprisingly cheap at Trader Joe's) and rib-eye instead of fillets.
Here's what you'll need:
2 nice pieces of steak (use ribeye or fillet, nothing with a bone)
6 pieces of prosciutto
Spreadable pate
Yellow mustard
Thawed puff pastry
2 egg yolks, beaten

First step is to sear the steaks.  Get the cast iron skillet super, super hot, then rub the steaks with coarse sea salt and cracked pepper.  Throw some olive oil into the skillet and heat until a crust forms on all sides of the meat.  Remove from the cast iron and let the steak rest.  In the meantime...

...unwrap a long piece of plastic wrap and lay three pieces of prosciutto on top.  Spread pate on top.

Cover steak in yellow mustard (just regular, no dijon or anything fancy), then place on top of pate.

Starting at the top, wrap everything up in the plastic wrap and seal thoroughly.  Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.  While waiting for the steak, preheat the oven to 385 degrees and place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
When the steaks are cool, unwrap and place meat on top of puff pastry.  Wrap like an envelope, and brush with egg yolks.  Cook in oven until puff pastry is browned.
Serve with roasted asparagus.  You'll be glad you did.
Thanks for the tasty meal, John Paul!  It was just what the doctor ordered on Saturday night.

English Garden Cocktail Party

 

Oh, hello there.  I've got royal wedding fever.  Do you?
Well, if you do, you totally should have been in DC last night for the English Garden Cocktail Party at Hitched Bridal Salon in Georgetown!  I was lucky enough to be invited, along with a guest (that's Summer hiding behind the Wills mask...hey, she's taller than me!), to the event last night, which celebrated all things wedding.  There was a presenter from Martha Stewart Weddings, a bunch of local vendors, tasty nibbles and great people watching.

When Summer and I got there, there was a lovely little French group playing "La Vie en Rose."  We listened while sipping lemon and honey vodka drinks and eating mini shepherd's pie.  Bliss.

This picture seriously does not do this wedding cake justice.  It was gorgeous!  Way too pretty to eat.

A glass of champagne to go with the festive mood? Don't mind if I do.

The girl on the left and the one in the bright pink dress are the owners of Hitched, which is the first place I went to try on wedding dresses.  Oh my goodness, they are so gracious and have impeccable taste.  They answered a question I had about picking bridesmaid dresses without thinking it sounded silly.  Maggie Austin, the baker in the black ruffly dress, made the beautiful wedding cake above.

The goodie bag!  As though the bag itself isn't cute enough, it was filled with wonderful gifts, including a Royal Wedding Survival Kit (scones, English breakfast tea, and jam), truffles (including a chocolate engagement ring!), and the cutest thing of all...

...this embroidered hankie!

This girl was very, very happy.  Thank you, ladies of Hitched, for such a lovely evening!
(P.S. Outfit details: tank and skirt- F21, shoes- hand me downs from Haley, necklace- Lou Lou, watch-Fossil)